NEW HANOVER COUNTY — After being arrested last year for narcotics seized during a traffic stop, a 42-year-old Georgia man had his day in court earlier in the week.
David Woodhall pleaded guilty in New Hanover County Superior Court to one count of trafficking in methamphetamine by possession. Honorable Judge Stanley Carmical sentenced Woodhall up to 10 years in the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction; the minimum sentence is seven-and-a-half. Woodall also will pay a $100,000 drug trafficking fine.
The plea comes nine months after New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office deputies pulled over a vehicle for speeding on MLK Parkway on November 17, 2021. Woodhall was a passenger, and when officers approached the vehicle, they said they noticed he seemed nervous and made erratic movements.
Law enforcement had a K9, Ellie, sniff out the vehicle and alerted the team to narcotics, which enacted a probable cause search. Officers found a suitcase in the back seat with 10 individually packaged gallon sized plastic bags. Stowed in them were roughly 22 pounds of methamphetamine.
Woodhall admitted ownership and that he was transporting the drugs from Georgia to Wilmington, N.C.
“A massive quantity of narcotics was taken off the streets of Wilmington thanks to the superb investigatory perceptions and instincts of deputies from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office in this case,” Assistant District Attorney Ashton Herring said in a press release from the DA. “Our office will continue to focus and prioritize the prosecution of individuals who transport large amounts of narcotics into New Hanover County for distribution.”
Tips or comments? Email info@localdailymedia.com.
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
